No One's Daughter
by Magillicuddy
Summary: AU. When Callie is taken to Helen's during "Things Unknown" she isn't there for just one night. The road to getting her back is a lot longer for Stef and Lena. Her adoption is in danger, and Robert Quinn is nowhere to be found. Stef and Lena fear she is reverting back to old habits, and Callie knows that she is meant to be alone. After all, some things just aren't meant to be.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is an AU I thought of when re-watching season 2. What if Callie wasn't at Helen's for just one night? What if she were there longer? I'm very happy with how the TV show played out, but I always thought that with the system being what it is, it was very easy for them to get Callie back. What if it hadn't been that easy? Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 _Chapter One_

When the doorbell rang Callie Jacob didn't think too much about it. She knew Jesus had invited Emma over to help him study, so she figured she'd decided to come by early. Or maybe Jesus had invited her for dinner. She didn't really care. But when Jesus had come into the dining room, looking worried and nervous, her stomach dropped as it did every time she knew something bad was about to happen.

"A social worker's here."

Those four words were enough to cause bile to rise up in her throat, but she kept a brave face on for Jude. The last thing he needed to do was worry about her.

The family walked into the foyer, Callie in the back, doing her best to blend in. She knew it was a futile endeavor. She always managed to stick out in the families she stayed with.

"Can we help you?" Stef asked, crossing her arms defensively. She looked like she was preparing for a fight. For some reason the gesture made Callie want to burst into tears.

"I'm really sorry about this," the woman began, looking apologetic. "My name's Elaine, and it's come to our attention that your license to foster has expired."

Stef and Lena looked at each other quizzically before turning back to the social worker. "We were never notified."

"We were under the impression that you were in the process of adopting your foster children, Jude and Callie. And this morning we learned that Callie's adoption was denied?" the woman phrased it like a question, as though afraid any negative word she uttered would cause a fight she wasn't prepared to have.

"For now, but we sent the abandonment papers to her biological father and are just waiting for him to sign them. Why? What does any of this have to do with you?"

Lena placed a hand gently on Stef's arm to calm her. Everyone knew perfectly well what was about to happen.

"Well, with the adoption having been denied and your foster license currently expired, I'm afraid I have no choice but to remove Callie from the home."

Callie took a deep breath. She knew what had been coming but still felt as though she'd been punched in the gut. How could this be happening? She was supposed to be a member of this family by now. But of course she wasn't. Because that wasn't how the universe worked. Stef and Lena hadn't renewed their license because they hadn't thought they needed to and now Callie was about to be separated from Jude. From her family.

"I'm sorry, what? How can you just barge in here, in the middle of dinner I might add, and tell us that we aren't fit to have our daughter in this house? We are going to adopt her any day, and she'll legally be ours. How can you say she can't be here?" Stef exploded. She shrugged off Lena's arm and began pacing the room, something Callie knew she did when she was angry and frustrated.

Elaine's eyes finally came to rest upon Callie, and the girl felt her cheeks flame from the unwanted attention. "I'm sorry," she repeated, "but the law states that foster children cannot reside in a house without a fostering license. My advice would be to go to the courts first thing in the morning and get an emergency extension until your license can be renewed. Until then, I have to take Callie."

"No," an unexpected voice snapped suddenly. Everyone turned to find Jude standing in the center of everyone, his arms crossed in imitation of Stef's, looking angrier than Callie had ever seen him.

"Jude…" Lena began, but the younger boy cut her off.

"No, you don't. She's my sister and just as much a member of this family, so you don't have any right to take her away! We're a package deal, we've always been, so you can't split us up."

Callie sighed. "Jude, she's right. Technically, I'm still in the foster system, so I have to do what she says. I'll be fine, though. I always am."

Jude turned to look at her, his eyes full of unshed tears. "But it's not fair. It's not fair that I got adopted and you didn't."

"I know," Callie admitted, feeling her own unshed tears fighting their way to the surface. "But it is what it is. I'll be fine, Jude. Okay? I promise. I'll be back before you know it, and they'll never separate us again."

It was obvious to Callie that her little brother wanted to say something more, but they looked at each other in silent understanding, and Callie knew he'd come to accept the situation.

"I'll go pack." Callie turned and headed upstairs before she had to endure any more pitying stares from the foster family that had come to mean so much to her.

She was just finishing up throwing some random clothes into her ratty blue duffel bag when Mariana stormed into their room. "I can't believe this is happening! It's not fair that they deny your adoption and then send you away. Don't they realize they're only hurting the kids they're supposed to be helping?"

"No one said it was fair," Callie mumbled. She was careful to zip her duffel bag closed and give herself a second to compose herself before turning to face her foster sister. For some reason the whole situation made her embarrassed and ashamed. Everyone in this family legally belonged to each other except for her, and even though they kept reassuring her she was a member of the family, at times like this she was painfully reminded of just how much that wasn't the case.

"Moms will get you back. There's no way they're going to let the system just tear you away from us." Mariana seemed to be reassuring herself more than Callie.

Callie shrugged. "Okay. I'm gonna go down before Elaine comes up to make sure I'm still here. But I'll see you around."

Mariana nodded, looking uncertain, and the two embraced each other, leaving the unspoken settle between them in silence.

Finally Callie came down with Mariana trailing sadly behind her. Callie felt the stares of the Adams Foster family all around her, and she suddenly wanted to snap at them to stop. She felt uncomfortable enough about it, and didn't need to feel worse than she already did. The only person she wanted to see was Jude, and he'd shut himself in his room.

As if reading her mind, Stef spoke up. "He's just a little upset, sweets. He'll come around. But you know how much you mean to him. Besides, it'll only be for a little while. We are going to do everything in our power to make sure you come back as soon as possible. Tomorrow, if I have anything to say about it."

Callie managed a weak smile. "Thanks, Stef. And Lena. For everything." As she turned to follow the social worker out of the house, she hoped it wasn't too obvious that she didn't believe them. She'd heard too many empty promises to believe another one. If there was one thing she was more certain of than anything, it was that the system liked to set up as many roadblocks as possible between Callie and her happiness, and if that included Stef, Lena, and the rest of the family, she knew she wasn't coming back any time soon.

She stared at her lap, refusing to accept any of the pitying looks the rest of her foster family continued to shoot her way, as she sat in the back of Elaine's plain blue Honda Civic. They drove away, and Callie finally let the despair wash over her as she was once again reminded that she was no one's daughter, and never would be.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow! The response to this story has been great! I appreciate all the feedback. Here's chapter two. I did borrow some of the dialogue from the show during the scenes in the kitchen and bedroom. It's not all the same, but I felt like it was needed for the purposes of the story. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!  
**

* * *

 _Chapter Two_

"Helen, this is Callie. Callie, Helen."

Callie glanced at the elderly, overweight woman lingering in the doorway. The drive from the Foster house to this one had taken about fifteen minutes. The distance wasn't far, but it may as well have been across the world for how alone she felt at that moment. Looking up into the face of yet another stranger who had been given the responsibility of taking care of her was a bitter reminder of her loneliness. At least before she'd had Jude. Now she didn't even have him. He'd finally gotten adopted by a good family, which was the only thing she'd truly wanted, but at times like these she was selfish enough to admit that she wished he was here.

The woman, Helen, made the first move. "Nice to meet you, Callie. Please come in."

She stepped aside so Callie and Elaine could enter the house. Callie shrugged the strap of her duffel bag higher on her shoulder as she stepped into what was obviously the living room and took a moment to look around.

The room was small, as was the rest of the house. An old beige sofa sat against the wall facing the window that overlooked the front lawn. A small television that looked as though it had been made in the mid-nineties was against the far wall. A small bookshelf was the only other item in the room, and it only housed about half its capacity of books. The walls were devoid of any pictures or paintings. To Callie it looked as if the woman had only recently moved in.

"I know it's not much," Helen said, noticing Callie looking around, "but hopefully it'll start to become more comfortable for you soon enough."

 _I hope I'm not here long enough for it to start feeling comfortable,_ Callie thought, but didn't voice the thought aloud. Instead she nodded and stood awkwardly while her new and hopefully temporary foster mother said goodbye to the social worker.

Soon enough she was completely alone except for Helen.

"Well," sighed the woman. "Are you hungry? I just ate, but there's enough leftover for you. I'll make you a plate while you dump that down the hall." She indicated Callie's duffel bag. "It's the last door on the left. I'll meet you in the kitchen."

Callie did as Helen bid her and went to what was to be her room. Like the living room, there wasn't much to look at. In fact, there was only a small twin-sized bed and a dresser. The bed was fitted with plain white sheets, and when Callie got closer she saw there were bars on the windows. The sight put an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach, but she didn't let herself dwell too long on it. Instead she put her duffel bag on the bed and went back into the kitchen.

Helen had already dished her a plate of what looked like penne noodles and marinara sauce. Callie sat down, staring at the food and remembering the chicken and vegetables that Lena had spent the better part of the evening fixing. She hadn't even gotten a chance to eat before she'd been yanked out of the house.

She half expected Helen to leave her alone, but she didn't. She stayed and watched her as she picked at her dinner. Finally, after a couple minutes of awkward silence in which Callie didn't eat, Helen spoke up. "So, how many homes have you been in? Foster homes, I mean."

 _Too many._ "Uh, six, I think. Seven if you count this one."

Helen clucked her tongue disapprovingly and shook her head. "And how long have you been in the system?"

"Six years." Callie couldn't bring herself to look up from her plate as she said it.

"One a year, huh? That's too many. Sorry about that. It's got to be tough."

Callie nodded slowly, trying hard not to think about the fact that she should've been adopted by now. If Donald had really been her father she wouldn't have to sit and make conversation with a woman she barely knew. She'd be home with her brother and her new family, never having to worry about being ripped away from a good home again. Instead she was here, sitting at a kitchen table alone except for a woman who was only asking her questions because she wanted to fill the uneasy silence.

"Not hungry?" Helen's words interrupted her silent pity party.

Callie shrugged and placed her fork on her plate, glad at least to not have to keep up the pretense any longer.

"That's okay. It's not that great anyway. How about a cookie? I baked them this afternoon so they're fresh."

Callie shrugged again as Helen took away her untouched plate. It seemed that was all she was capable of anymore. She watched as Helen scraped away the uneaten pasta into the garbage and placed the dish gently in the sink. She knew this wasn't the case, but she couldn't help but think that the woman had thrown away the food instead of putting it away because she wasn't planning on feeding her later. Callie tensed minutely at the thought. She wouldn't starve her. CPS wouldn't put her in a home that wouldn't feed her. Knowingly at least. She tried not to think about that.

They never seemed to know the good homes from the bad ones. They never had. She and Jude had learned that lesson the hard way. They'd seemed to have more bad ones than good. The only good homes had been her and Jude's first, and the Fosters. Her first foster parents, Sheila and Dan, had talked about adopting them, but they'd been taken away before those plans could be realized, and the process had just repeated for her with the Adams Fosters. At least this time Jude had been adopted before the same could be said for him.

And she'd gotten her wish. Jude had been adopted. He was safe with a family who loved and wanted him, and she no longer had to look out for his wellbeing. But she hadn't counted on the loneliness that would creep upon her. It surrounded her in this small house with only a quiet elderly woman for company. A woman who meant well, but it just wasn't the same as being back in the home she'd come to feel so comfortable in, surrounded by kids who had made her feel like part of the family. Her only mistake had been letting her guard down and believing that she could finally be happy with a family who wanted her.

Well, the joke was on her. The Adams Fosters had been just as much of a disappointment as Sheila and Dan. They hadn't even cared enough to renew their foster license for her. They'd let her get taken away after they'd promised that it would never happen. And now she was alone, truly alone, for the first time in her life.

Callie brushed a tear away as Helen returned to the table with a plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. "Take as many as you want. I made them for you. They told me you were coming and I wanted to do something special. I know it's not much, but I figured you could do with something good on your first night here."

"Thanks." Callie gently took one, her old fears returning. She'd experienced too many families that liked to play games with her about food. One of them, the family she and Jude had lived with right after the Olmsteads, had even gone so far as dangling food in front of them, only to yank it away when they reached for it. She hated that she could still feel this way.

But Helen didn't move as Callie took one of the cookies. Timidly, she took a bite. It was delicious. None of the other families had ever baked cookies for her before. Not even Stef and Lena. But the thought of them, the two women who she'd believed would become her mothers, still brought a stab of pain to her gut, and suddenly the cookie tasted like ash in her mouth.

Helen didn't fill the silence with more questions. Instead the two sat in the kitchen silently eating their cookies, the knowledge that she was going to be staying in the house sitting heavily between them. Callie wondered why there weren't more kids here, but didn't ask. She found that she didn't care enough to pose the question.

Too soon it came time for her to go to her room. Helen cleared away the table and put the remaining cookies in a Ziploc bag. Callie stood up and went to her bedroom, then opened her duffel bag to pull out the one pair of pajamas she packed. She went into the bathroom to do her business and change. Then, with want for anything else to do, she went back into the bedroom and sat down on the bed. It wasn't the one she'd had with Stef and Lena, but at least it was soft enough to be comfortable.

She tried not to think about what she would be doing if she were still at home. Probably in the living room with the family watching TV, or in her bedroom talking to Mariana. Maybe even Jude's room, helping him with homework. No matter what the activity was, there would have been someone around to talk to or be with. She wouldn't be sitting alone in an empty bedroom with nothing to do. She was afraid to take her laptop out because she wasn't sure if Helen would take it away. Most foster kids didn't have expensive things like laptops, and if they did they were taken away and given to social services. At least, that was what she'd learned after witnessing it happen in other homes with kids who brought stuff like that with them to new places. After losing so much that night, she didn't think she'd be able to handle it if she lost anything else.

A knock at the door made her turn around. Helen stood in the doorway. "Do you need to use the bathroom before I turn in?"

"No, thanks," Callie replied softly. She expected her foster mother to nod and go to her room, but she didn't. That was when she noticed what looked like a set of keys dangling from her right hand. Callie knew without having to be told what would happen next.

"Okay. Well, since you're a, you know, a flight risk, and they don't have an ankle bracelet on you yet, I'm going to have to secure things." She held up the set of keys and took a step to the door.

Callie watched in shock and resignation as Helen slowly began to shut her door. "I'm a light sleeper, so if you need anything during the night, just bang on the wall and I'll let you out. Okay?"

Callie nodded once and bit her lip as Helen shut the door quietly behind her, the unmistakable click of the lock echoing loudly in the otherwise silent room. Callie waited for a moment, hoping that this was all a joke and Helen would emerge with a laugh and tell her she was kidding. But of course she wasn't. She'd obviously read her file, seen that she'd run away and been to Juvie twice, and determined that she was trouble and couldn't be trusted. It only proved that no matter how nice foster parents were, they couldn't be trusted. Callie had been judged before she'd Helen had even met her.

The quiet suffocated Callie like an unwanted blanket on a hot afternoon. With the door locked and bars on the windows, she felt like a criminal. She'd never felt so alone.

It took her…well, she wasn't sure how long to force herself to move. She didn't bother getting up. Instead she scooted to the top of the bed and pulled the thin sheet on top of her body and closed her eyes. If she didn't let herself see, she could almost pretend she was anywhere but in the cold, drafty, cell of a room.

It didn't work.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you guys for all the feedback! I really appreciate it. To one of my guest reviewers, it's funny that you mentioned wanting a Stef perspective, because here it is! Hope you all enjoy it and as always, please let me know what you think!  
**

* * *

 _Chapter Three_

Stef Foster couldn't remember the last time she'd lain awake in bed all night. She supposed the night before she'd told Mike she wanted a divorce came close, but nothing had wreaked havoc on her mind the way Callie's departure last night had. The way that woman had been able to barge into their home and rip their daughter away like it was just procedure…Stef honestly thought she would have punched her in the face if it hadn't been for Lena's arm holding her back. It wouldn't have helped Callie any, but it would have felt good. At that moment Stef needed something good to hold on to so she would continue to have hope.

Resigning herself to a stressful day in the courthouse, Stef got out of bed as quietly as she could so as not to wake Lena and shuffled into bathroom to get ready. The alarm wasn't set to go off for another hour, but she wasn't about to wait around when she knew sleep was futile. Every moment she spent waiting around was another moment Callie was who knew where, and the thought was too much to bear.

After finishing up in the bathroom, she went through her closet until she found the smartest outfit she could find. She settled on a white blouse and black trousers. After straightening her hair, she put on the matching black suit jacket, then appraised herself in the mirror. She looked about as far from a police officer as she could get, which was what she'd been aiming for. The judge needed to be reminded that she was a person, not just a cop, and she had Callie's best interests at heart. She and Lena both did.

Stef knew it was her imagination, but as she hurried downstairs as quietly as she could, she thought the house was quieter than normal. It certainly hadn't been her imagination how somber the atmosphere of the house had been after Callie had been taken away. Everyone had been subdued and quiet. Even Jesus had eventually told Emma that it would probably be better if she went home early. Emma had been nothing but understanding, giving Stef another reason to like her. Everyone was in agreement after that point: they needed to get Callie back.

After making a thermos of coffee and taking a banana out of the fruit bowl on the counter, she got in her car and drove the twenty minutes to the courthouse. She was prepared to make a day of it, which was why she'd called the captain to inform her there was a good chance she wouldn't be coming in that day. She'd expected a fight, but the captain had been nothing but sympathetic. "Go get your girl," she'd said.

Stef planned to do just that.

The inside of the courthouse looked no different than it did on the day of Jude's adoption. The lobby was large and intimidating, full of people going about their lives who didn't give her a second look. In one corner there was a young girl surrounded by a family of five who looked as joyous as it were possible to look. They were most likely adopting the girl, who looked nothing like the rest of them but still obviously belonged with them. Stef's heart ached for her own daughter, who should've already been adopted and home with them. Stef shouldn't have to be back here, fighting to get her daughter back home. The girl had already suffered so much. She didn't need to fight yet another battle.

"Excuse me," Stef said once she approached the receptionist's desk.

The woman behind the desk looked up and plastered a large smile on her heart-shaped face. "Hello. Can I help you?"

"Yes. I need to speak to Judge Ringer as soon as possible, please." Stef fought hard to keep her voice under control.

"May I ask what it is regarding?"

"My daughter, Callie Jacob, was taken away last night by social services and I need to file an emergency extension to get her back."

At this the woman frowned. "Your daughter? If she is your daughter, why do you need an emergency extension?"

Stef sighed angrily. "My foster license expired. We were in the process of adopting her, but it fell through at the last minute and we…the license expired before we could renew it."

"Oh. She's your foster daughter." The woman relaxed in sudden understanding. Stef fumed silently, wondering why people insisted on putting the term 'foster' in front of daughter, as though Callie couldn't be hers without a simple piece of paper. "I see. I'll let the judge know you're here, but he's a very busy man so I can't promise he'll see you right away. Can I have your name, please?"

"Stefanie Adams Foster." It was all she could do not to snap at the woman. All she had to do was tell the judge it was concerning Callie Jacob and he would know who was waiting for him.

"I'll let him know you're here." The woman indicated the waiting area in a clear dismissal.

Stef sat down and poured herself a cup of coffee from the thermos. All she could do now was sit and wait.

She waited.

Waited.

Waited.

And waited some more.

She'd gotten a text from Lena around eight, just as Anchor Beach had started classes for the day. _Everything okay? Didn't hear you leave._

 _At the courthouse waiting to see the judge._

No sooner had she sent the text did Lena call her.

"You're there now?" Lena asked, sounding mildly surprised.

"I told the captain about what happened last night, and she was nothing but supportive. I'm not leaving here until our license is renewed. Honestly, Judge Ringer ought to give us an extension, seeing how he's preventing us from legally adopting her." Stef could hear the bitterness in her voice but couldn't seem to stop it. It seemed she was full of bitterness these days.

"We can hope. Honestly, I can't get over how defeated Callie looked last night. It was almost like she'd been expecting it to happen. That poor girl has been through so much already. She doesn't deserve this."

"I know, love. Let's just hope the judge sees it that way."

"He better." Stef smiled at the fervor in her wife's voice. "She came to school today."

"You saw her? How was she?"

Lena hesitated half a second before answering. Stef noticed, and was almost afraid of the answer. "She appeared fine. She just…I don't know. Seemed off somehow."

"Well of course she's off, love. She's not in her own home. She's living with some stranger who we don't even know."

"Yes, but it seemed like more than that." Stef could tell Lena was having a hard time trying to explain whatever it was she noticed about the girl they'd both come to love as one of their own. "She seemed distant."

"You don't think anything happened…" Stef trailed off, not wanting to even suggest it.

"Let's hope not. I'm going to try to find some time to talk to her today. I don't want to pull her out of class because that might make her feel that something is wrong, but I don't want her going back where she's staying without me having talked to her. That would send her the wrong message she certainly doesn't need to be receiving."

"I completely agree with you, love. You do what you can on your end and I'll do the same thing here. With any luck both of us will come home with good news." Stef was determined to.

An hour in to her wait, she went up to the receptionist to check on the judge. "It's been an hour. Are you sure he knows I'm here?"

"He knows you're here. He'll see you when he can," was the only answer she got. When the shifts changed and the previous receptionist went home, Stef went up to the new one and repeated the whole ordeal to her.

"I'm really sorry, ma'am, but he has at least one more case to oversee before he'll even be back in his office. Are you sure you don't just want to come back on Monday? I can schedule you an appointment." The receptionist indicated her computer, her face full of sympathy and regret.

"I don't have until Monday. My daughter is in a strange home with people she doesn't know, and she needs to be back in her own bed. Are you sure there isn't anything you can do?"

"I'm really sorry," the woman repeated. At least she had the decency to look it, Stef thought. "But it's the best I can do."

Stef stood gaping at the woman, who probably had no idea what it felt like to be torn away from everything she knew in the middle of a family dinner. To wonder where her next home would be, or whether she would be safe. Stef had to admit she didn't know what that was like either, but at least she was doing everything in her power to make sure Callie was safe.

"I'm going to wait here until he's available." Stef turned before the woman could say another word and sat back down in her chair. At least she had coffee.

By noon Stef considered asking Lena to bring her something to eat, but quickly dismissed the notion. She couldn't ask Lena to skip her lunch hour just to bring her food. The drive was just too long and Lena needed to be where she was. If Callie saw that Lena was gone she might wonder what was going on, and Stef didn't want her to feel any more abandoned than she already did.

Stef resigned herself to hunger because she sure as hell wasn't going to leave the building and give Judge Ringer the opportunity to get away. She didn't even want to go to the bathroom, but she couldn't not do that.

After a while Stef began to notice that people were starting to stare at her. No doubt they were wondering why she'd been sitting there so long and why. Court proceedings could be notoriously slow, but never did they require people to sit around and wait all day. Stef didn't pay them any attention. Let them wonder.

Around four her phone buzzed again with a call from Lena. "Hey babe. Just wanted to let you know that I'm taking the kids home. Callie got picked up by her foster mother. Mariana said she'd been avoiding them today in class. Have you seen the judge yet? I'm starting to worry about her."

"No" _,_ Stef replied. "According to the very helpful receptionist, he's been quite a busy man today."

"I'm sure," Lena scoffed. "Well, don't give up. Callie needs to come home. I don't know if I was imagining it or not, but she seemed distant today."

"Well, the stress of everything going on is probably getting to her. I can't say as I blame her. If I'd been through everything that Callie has, I'd probably shut down a little bit, too." God knew Callie could use a break, Stef knew. That girl had been through enough disappointment to last a lifetime.

"Well, I'm going to get dinner started. If you aren't back we'll save you a plate. Just let me know what happens."

"Will do. Bye, love."

Lena's observations about Callie only renewed Stef's determination to wait it out until the judge finally decided to grace her with his presence. If Callie was already withdrawing after only one night, Stef knew it would only be a matter of time until she decided to run again. And she didn't think any judge would give her a third chance, no matter how long and hard she and Lena fought for her. What kind of system could treat kids like objects to passed around, and then punish them when the effects of that treatment had taken its toll? Stef couldn't blame Callie for all her issues. All she could do was be there for her to help her through them all, but how could she do that when they wouldn't let them be under the same roof? The injustice of it all made Stef want to scream. And to top it all off, Callie would think she and Lena had failed her, as everyone else in her life had failed her.

So she went up to the receptionist's desk for the fourth time that day. "I've been waiting for eight hours now. I need to see the judge. I don't care how busy he is or whether he's overseeing a case. My daughter isn't at home with me, and I need to fix that. Now."

The receptionist's eyes widened at the sudden outburst, and it was obvious that she was nervous. Stef began to hope that she'd finally gotten through to the woman. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. "Ma'am, I understand that you're frustrated, but you need to wait until the judge is available. I can't just interrupt a court proceeding. There are procedures…"

"Do you think I give a damn about your procedures?" Stef snapped. "I have a girl who I can't adopt because we need permission from a man who walked out on her before she was even born! And now I can't have her in my house, with my four other children, just because some piece of expired no longer has a valid date on it. Do you think that's fair? It's certainly not fair to my daughter. She's the one suffering because of all your damn procedures. Now are you going to summon the judge or not?"

After a moment's hesitation, the woman said, "You're right. None of it's fair, but if I interrupt a court proceedings, I could lose my job. The best thing you can do is make an appointment for Monday morning and tell him all this yourself. Otherwise there isn't anything I can do."

Stef knew she wasn't going to get anything else out of the woman. It was pretty clear where she stood on the issue.

Hating herself, Stef finally nodded. She had to look down so the receptionist didn't see the utter defeat she knew colored her features. "Fine. Monday morning."

She left the courthouse, feeling like she was emerging from a cave. She didn't quite have the heart to tell Lena their baby was going to have to stay in whatever foster home she was in for the weekend. She certainly didn't have the heart to tell Jude. All she could do was go home and pray to a God she didn't even believe in anymore for Callie not to give up hope.

Unfortunately, knowing Callie, she knew that might just be asking for a miracle.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: As always, thank you for all the positive feedback. You seriously don't know how much they all mean to me. This chapter was meant to be all Callie, but it turned out that Stef had more to say. Please let me know what you think!  
**

* * *

 _Chapter Four_

Callie hadn't really expected to see Stef waiting for her when school let out, but when she saw Helen instead of her, she realized she'd been clinging to hope she hadn't even known she had. She saw Mariana, Jesus, Brandon, and Jude waiting outside the main building for Lena. Her eyes lingered on Jude, who was talking to the others and laughing at whatever Jesus was saying. The sight brought a sad smile to her lips. All she'd wanted was for him to belong to a family. She was disappointed in the cards she'd been dealt recently, but at least Jude didn't have to suffer with her.

She turned around before any of them could notice her and walked to Helen's car. It was the lone car parked in the handicapped area. Callie hoped no one noticed her as she got into the back. She didn't really feel like sitting up front with Helen; the least amount of contact she had with her, the better.

"Ready?" Helen asked once Callie was settled.

Callie nodded in reply.

Once they were out of the parking lot and on the way back to the house, Callie finally got up the courage to speak up.

"So, uh…my little brother Jude is reading an essay that he wrote for school tonight. I guess he won a contest, so the school wants him to read it tonight. And I was wondering, if…I could go."

Helen was silent for so long that Callie wondered if she'd heard a word she just said. In fact, the only sound filling the car was the music coming from the oldie station Helen listened to. Ironically, the Beatles were playing. It wasn't _Hey, Jude,_ but it still served to remind Callie of her brother.

"I don't know," Helen said at last. "It seems like a good excuse for you to run away. I've read your file, and I know all about that stunt you pulled after moving in with the Fosters. You hadn't even been there for a day before you ran away to San Ysidro to get to your brother. What would stop you from doing the same thing tonight?"

All Callie could do was sit numbly as she tried to process what she just heard. Was she serious? Did she actually think she would run away at a school award's ceremony? Where would she go?

"I'm not going to do anything," Callie said slowly, wanting there to be no confusion. "It's just my little brother reading his essay at school. What's so wrong about that?"

"Nothing, if that's all that's going on here. But I'm not convinced it's that simple. Your brother was adopted by your last foster family. Going would only confuse the two of you, and it would be all too easy for you to slip by without anyone noticing. I think the best thing for everyone involved is for us not to get mixed up in any of that. We can do something fun ourselves. How about we go out for ice cream after dinner?"

Callie could feel the sting of tears behind her eyes and fought like hell to keep them at bay. There was no way she was going to let Helen see the way her words were affecting her.

She'd promised Jude that she would be there to hear him read his speech. She'd _promised._ He'd worked so hard on it, and despite his shyness at the attention that would be placed on him, she knew he was excited about it. She didn't know how he would react when he didn't see her there to hear him. She'd convinced him to get adopted without her, and now there were so many obstacles coming between them. How much more disappointment would he have to endure before he ended up running away, too?

"Can I at least go over there tomorrow to see him? I don't want him to think I didn't want to go." She tried to keep the emotion out of her voice, but she wasn't sure how successful she was. Part of her didn't care if Helen knew she was upset. The only thing she cared about was the fact that she was going to disappoint Jude yet again, and there wasn't anything she could do about it.

"How about I call Elaine and see if we can arrange something?"

Callie shrugged, knowing she wasn't going to get a better offer.

Once they arrived back at Helen's home Callie all but ran up to her room. She could hear Helen calling her, but she ignored her. Let her get locked in her room for the rest of the night. At least she would be alone in order to get her phone call in.

With her bedroom door closed, Callie dug the cell phone Stef and Lena gave her after returning from Girls United and called the first number on her speed dial.

After four rings she got Stef's voicemail. Without leaving a message she tried Lena. Same thing. In the back of her mind, she knew they were both busy with work, but she couldn't help the pang of sadness that overcame her anyway.

 _Maybe It's all for the best,_ she couldn't help but think. _Maybe it's better if they don't pick up the phone. That way it'll hurt less when I don't come home._

By the time Helen came up to tell her dinner was ready Callie had resigned herself to missing Jude's ceremony and vowed to make it up to him somehow. She wasn't sure how, but the idea of running away suddenly didn't seem so bad.

* * *

"So? How'd it go?" Lena asked when Stef announced her arrival home by slamming the door.

Stef fought for calm as she tried to get the words she was going to say to sound okay in her head. So far nothing she'd come up with on the ride home seemed adequate enough to convey all the emotions rolling around inside her. She stood pacing in the entryway, wondering how she was going to tell her family that Callie wasn't coming home yet. Every time she thought about it, Jude's face would pop into her mind. All this time she'd been trying to imagine what Callie was going through that she'd failed to consider Jude's feelings. It made her feel all the more terrible about the situation. Jude would be devastated when he found out she wasn't coming home.

Lena entered from the kitchen, worry evident on her face. She raised an eyebrow, and Stef knew she was going to have to say something.

"Not so good," she managed to get out. "Judge Ringer was either the busiest man in the world, or he was avoiding me. They wouldn't let me see him, so I had to make an appointment for Monday morning."

"You're kidding." Lena bowed her head in exasperation. "How could they let you sit there all day without seeing him? They did know it was concerning Callie, didn't they?"

"Oh yes. I made that abundantly clear. Unfortunately she isn't high on their priority list, and now she's going to have to stay in her foster home for the weekend."

"Oh my god." Lena sighed and sat down on the couch. With her elbows on her knees, she rested her head in her hands. Stef joined her, rubbing her back soothingly. "What are we going to tell Jude? She's going to miss his essay, and he's going to be completely devastated. Do you think we did the right thing adopting him without her? They've been together so long…"

"No." Stef interrupted before her wife could finish the sentence. "Adopting Jude was probably the best thing we did. And not just for Jude, but for Callie as well. Keeping him safe has been her priority for so long that she really hasn't had a chance to look out for herself. If there's one thing we know about her, it's that she's a fighter. She'll get through this. We all will. What's three more nights when we have a whole lifetime to look forward to?"

After a moment Lena sat up and ran a hand through her curly hair. "You're right. I know. I just can't help but think of everything that she's been through. She doesn't deserve this."

"I know, love." Stef wrapped her wife in a warm embrace and rubbed her back. "But we have to push through this. We owe it to both of them not to give up. We can't let the system win."

Afterwards they sat in silence for some time. The kids were upstairs getting ready for Jude's award ceremony. It was uncharacteristically quiet, but Stef wasn't worried about it. The fact that Brandon, Mariana, and Jesus were all in the house getting ready to go to a school function on a Friday night without complaint was a testament to the love they felt for their newest brother.

"Is the camcorder charged?" Stef asked as she forced herself to break the hug.

"Yeah. It should be good to go."

As they went upstairs to get ready, they couldn't help but notice the door of the girls' room slightly ajar. Callie's side of the room just looked so empty. Stef didn't know whether she was imaging it or not, but it looked so…vacant. It had never appeared that way when it had just been Mariana's room, but now it felt like a giant cavern with only half the room currently being used.

Mariana poked her head through and gave her a knowing look. Stef offered her a small smile and said, "Finish getting ready. I want to be out of here in half an hour."

Mariana nodded. "Okay."

"Okay." Stef followed Lena inside the bedroom and tried not to think about how Mariana hadn't rolled her eyes about not having enough time to get ready or snapped at her for lingering outside her room, or any of the other things she used to get so upset about that only made Stef love her all the more. Callie leaving had affected all of them.

Brandon, Mariana, Jesus, and Jude were waiting in the living room when Stef and Lena emerged just before five-thirty.

"What's this? Everyone's actually ready on time? Did we fall into some kind of alternate universe?" Stef asked, trying to keep the atmosphere in the house light and joyful.

None of the kids were having it. "Mom, where's Callie? Is she coming to the ceremony tonight?" Mariana asked. Her tone implied she already knew the answer.

Stef sighed and looked down. "No," she managed to say. She was ashamed to admit that she didn't have the courage to look Jude in the eye as she did so. "Turns out the system is pretty complicated, and she's going to have to stay where she is until Monday."

"What?"

"That's so unfair!"

"How can they do this?"

Stef heard all their objections. She'd already thought of them all. When she did have the courage to look at Jude she wasn't surprised to see that he was the only quiet one in the room.

"Jude? You okay?"

Everyone instantly quieted when they realized Jude hadn't spoken a word since the announcement.

When Jude looked up, there was determination in his eyes. "Yeah. I'm okay."

"You sure?" Stef wasn't convinced. "It's okay to be disappointed. I'm disappointed. But I promise you, Mama and I are doing everything we can to get her back."

Jude nodded. "I know." He hesitated, and Stef somehow knew she wasn't going to like what he was about to say next. "I'm just not sure your best will be good enough."

"What does that mean?" Stef asked, a small note of hurt in her voice.

"It just means that the system seems to do everything it can to make Callie's life miserable. She went to Juvie when she was trying to stop our foster father from hitting me. She was protecting me, but all they saw was a girl who was destroying our foster father's car. And that's just one thing. There is so much more to Callie than what the system sees, and it's not fair that this stuff keeps happening to her." Jude looked down, his eyes so full of pain and betrayal that he looked so much older than this thirteen years. It wasn't right that Jude had already experienced first hand how cruel the world could be.

"Hey, listen to me, okay?" Stef bent down so that she was eye level with her son. "We are getting Callie back. One setback isn't going to make us give up. I have an appointment with the judge on Monday morning, and I'll make him see reason. Have a little faith. Sometimes life can surprise you."

Jude nodded and smiled, looking much more like his true age. "You mean it?"

"I absolutely mean it. I wouldn't have said it if I didn't. Now, do you think you're ready to read your essay?"

Jude's face fell again. "It won't mean as much if Callie isn't there."

"Don't worry about that." She held out the camcorder so he could see it. "It's all going to be on tape. It'll be the first thing Callie sees when she comes home."

Jude smiled brightly and before Stef even knew what was happening, his arms were around her in the tightest hug he'd ever given her. "Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome, sweetie. Now let's go before all the good seats are gone."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: As always, thank you for all the positive feedback. This chapter is a turning point for Callie. I'm really excited to hear what you guys think.  
**

* * *

 _Chapter Five_

On Saturday Callie woke to the sound of Helen unlocking her door. It banged open, something that Callie suspected had been done intentionally.

"Good morning. How'd you sleep?"

Callie shrugged. "Okay, I guess." It wasn't exactly a lie. Once she'd accepted that she was truly going to be spending another night in Helen's house, she'd almost gone numb to the fact that she was missing Jude's essay and spent the rest of her lonely night lying in bed staring at the ceiling. She didn't remember going to sleep, but her time at Helen's so far had sort of blurred together. It was hard for her sometimes to distinguish one moment from another.

"Good. Glad to hear it. Well, I've got some eggs and bacon on the table. Once you've eaten we're going to get started on some chores, and from there I'll take you to your group. After that I can take you shopping if you're up for it. I noticed you didn't bring a lot of stuff with you." Helen indicated the blue duffel bag lying at the foot of the bed. Callie had never bothered to unpack, and now she was starting to regret it.

"We don't have to. I have stuff, I just left a lot of it with Stef and Lena."

"Well, we can go shopping for more, or I can get in touch with them to set up a time for you to get it. There's no sense in it just sitting over there when you're here."

Callie forced herself to nod. She hated that Helen had a point. But she didn't want to go to the Adams Foster house to collect her belongings. It would only force her to acknowledge that she really wasn't coming back, and she wasn't sure if she could do that.

"I can call them. I have their number."

Helen shook her head. "It would be more appropriate if I called them. Now go ahead and get ready. We have a busy day ahead of us."

She closed the door and Callie forced herself to get out of bed to change.

There was a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon waiting in her usual place at the table. She sat down and accepted the silverware Helen offered her.

Once both Helen and Callie were finished, the older woman stood up and took both plates to the sink. Then she announced that Callie would be doing the dishes. "I cooked it, so it's only fair you clean it up."

Callie didn't argue. She knew it would be pointless. So she went over to do the dishes while Helen went into the living room, to organize her mail, or so she said.

Callie tried to take her time, but there wasn't much there. Helen seemed to sense when she was finished, because no sooner had she turned the faucet off than she told her to clean the bathroom. So that's what Callie did. She put cleaner in the toilet, scrubbed the grime out of the bathtub, cleared the clutter off the vanity and then washed it, then mopped the floor. She was sweating and ready for a shower by the time she was finished. When Helen came up to inspect her work, she felt as though she were back at Girls United. Only Helen wasn't going to give her an unacceptable. If she was dissatisfied with her work she would probably complain to social services and Callie would find herself in yet another home. At least that was her experience in most foster homes.

"Good work. I'm impressed. Most of the other kids I've had over the years didn't put in this much effort, and I really appreciate it."

Callie smiled despite herself.

"Well, since your group starts in a little over an hour, why don't you go ahead and shower and do whatever else you need to do to get ready. I'll be right downstairs, so don't get any ideas about taking off."

 _If you're so worried about it, why don't you just lock me in the bathroom,_ Callie thought bitterly to herself, but she didn't dare voice the thought aloud.

Half an hour later she met Helen downstairs and told her she was ready. She'd put on her favorite dark purple t-shirt, a dark pair of skinny jeans, and her black Converse. She'd taken the time to braid her hair, and when she'd looked in the mirror she almost recognized herself again. Not as the girl who'd almost gotten adopted and had a family again, but as Callie Jacob, foster child and drifter. The only thing she was missing was Jude.

They got into Helen's car and Callie settled herself for the short drive to the community center where the therapy meetings took place. Neither of them spoke, which wasn't anything new. Callie didn't have anything to say that wouldn't have anger to accompany it, so she felt it was best just to keep silent.

When they got to the community center Callie went into the familiar room while Helen sat in the waiting area just outside the door. She'd brought a book of crossword puzzles to keep her busy. If Callie had wanted to run, she wasn't going to get the chance here.

When she got to group half the kids were there already. Some had looked up at the sound of her entering, but most didn't bother. Most were just here because they were supposed to be and didn't want to acknowledge each other outside of the session.

Callie took her usual seat facing the door and used the little bit of free time before the session started to take out her phone. She figured since it was Saturday that Stef and Lena wouldn't be too busy. It couldn't hurt to check in, just to see how everyone was doing. She wasn't sure when she would get another chance. If Helen saw her on her phone Callie knew without a doubt that it would get taken away.

As she waited for Stef to pick up on the other end of the line, she wiped her free hand on her jeans. She wasn't sure why she was nervous, but the nerves were causing her palms to sweat.

Stef's voicemail came on after five rings, but Callie didn't leave a message. Instead she hung up and tried Lena. It too went to voicemail, but she didn't have time to dwell on it because the therapist came out to begin the session.

* * *

"How was group?" Helen asked once Callie met her in the waiting area. Callie had put her phone back in her pocket once the therapist had arrived and refused to say a word for the hour session. She hadn't trusted herself to, and still didn't if she were completely honest with herself. It wasn't Helen's fault that neither Stef nor Lena had answered their phones, but the older woman served as a painful reminder that Callie was no longer with them. She'd thought of them as mothers, but they clearly hadn't seen her as their daughter. Not really. They would've answered their phones for a daughter.

"Fine," she mumbled.

Helen didn't reply. She obviously didn't believe her because her expression looked uncomfortable, but luckily she let it go.

"Okay. Now how about that shopping I promised you?"

"Sure."

Callie followed her foster mother to the car, trying not to think about Stef and Lena, but failing. She was obsessing over the fact that she'd only gotten voicemail. No matter how many excuses she fed herself, such as they were busy, or away from their phones, or didn't hear them ring, she couldn't convince herself that any were true. It had been over an hour since she'd tried calling. Surely they would have called her back by now?

Callie felt the sting of tears, but blinked them back. She couldn't let Helen see her cry, because then she would ask what was wrong. Callie couldn't explain the situation, and no lie seemed good enough.

Helen parked the car in a handicapped space near the front of the mall and motioned for Callie to get out. "I have eighty dollars for you to spend on whatever you think you need. Remember that this money is for everything, not just one pair of pants, so keep to clearance. I'll be with you the whole time, so don't think you can get away. Understand?"

Callie nodded unenthusiastically and followed Helen inside.

Their first stop was Sears. Helen sat down in a chair in the teen section and told Callie that she would let her shop on her own, but she was being watched. It felt like being back at Girls United, but without the girls. Callie pretended not to notice and went to the clearance section as instructed.

Her heart wasn't in the task, so she ended up picking the first things she saw. The shirt was a plaid long sleeve shirt with varying shades of blue, and the pants were navy and skinny. The combined price was twenty dollars, so she figured Helen couldn't argue with that. After trying on the clothes, Callie took the forty dollars Helen gave her and went to the front of the store to pay with the promise that she would return the change.

As she waited for the woman in front of her to pay, it occurred to her that she would walk out of the store without Helen noticing. She claimed to be watching her, but she was still sitting in the teen section across the way, and she was preoccupied with her crossword puzzles. If Callie wanted to run, it would be easy. She'd done it before, and she knew she could do it again.

Her mind made up, she paid for the clothes as quickly as she could, then double-checked to make sure Helen was still engrossed in her book. The woman never looked up.

Callie took her new clothes and the remaining twenty dollars, and walked out of the store.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: As always, thank you for all the positive feedback. Sorry that this chapter took a little longer than the others. Between school and two jobs, life can get a little busy. For those of you who were worried that Callie would take off again, hopefully this chapter will ease some of the worry. Hope you enjoy!  
**

* * *

 _Chapter Six_

"She's not answering." Stef was pacing the bedroom, slowly working herself into a frenzy. Both she and Lena had missed calls from Callie, and the fact that she now wasn't answering her own phone was enough to worry Stef. The girl had a history of running when she felt that the odds were stacked against her, and she knew it was only a matter of time until something happened. She hated thinking that way, but Callie hadn't given her reason to think any differently.

"I just tried her. No answer, either." Lena threw her phone on the bed in frustration.

"Well, maybe she can't, for whatever reason. Maybe whoever she's with took it from her," Stef tried to reason, but the excuses felt flat even to her own ears.

Lena gave her a sympathetic look. "Maybe, but it's just not like Callie not to answer. I really feel like she's come to trust us since she came to live with us. I don't think she would just ignore us."

"I don't really know what to think, love." Stef paced some more, squeezing the phone in her hand with enough force to leave indent marks on her fingers. Finally she stopped and began walking to the door, her mind made up. "I'm going down to the social services office to find out where she is."

"Stef." Lena was right behind her. "That's not a good idea. You know they're not going to tell you anything."

"They have to. They know we want to adopt her. We adopted her brother, for God's sake! We're family."

"You know that's not how it works," Lena said gently. Stef didn't slow her pace as she went downstairs. "Technically she's still considered a ward of the state. It didn't matter that we adopted Jude and still want to adopt Callie. Since she's still part of the system, they can take her whenever they want. There's nothing we can do until Monday."

Stef immediately turned on her. "So you want us to just wait around until Monday, twiddling our thumbs and doing nothing while our daughter is who knows where with you know who? She tried to call us, Lena, and we didn't answer! What kind of message do you think that sent her?"

The pity was back in Lena's dark eyes, and Stef had to turn away from it. She didn't need pity, she needed action. "I know you're frustrated. Okay? So am I. But bursting into CPS and demanding something isn't going to accomplish anything. They may not grant us an extension on our license, and then we'd never get her back. Please be rational."

But Stef only shook her head. She couldn't listen to any more. "The only thing I need to do right now is get Callie back. And if that means I have to barge into CPS and harass every last person before I find out where she is, I'll do it."

Lena sighed, but didn't say anything else. Stef knew her silence meant acquiescence. She kissed her on the cheek and promised to let her know what happened. She didn't make it far, however, because the moment she opened the door to leave, she came face to face with Callie.

For a moment all Stef could do was stare at her. Though she'd only been gone for two nights, she seemed so different. Her dark eyes no longer held the light they'd gotten when she thought she was going to get adopted. She looked as guarded and nervous as she did when she'd first come to live with them. With her arms crossed and her eyes boring into Stef's almost accusingly, Stef knew without having to be told that she'd come ready for a fight.

"Callie!" Lena was the first to break the silence. "What are you doing here?" She walked past Stef to embrace the girl in a hug. Callie returned it, though hesitantly.

 _At least she's letting Lena hug her. It's a start,_ Stef thought to herself.

"Does your foster mother know you're here?"

Callie bristled somewhat at that. "Why didn't you guys answer your phones?"

Stef and Lena exchanged guilty looks. "We didn't have them on us. I was charging mine, and Stef had to make a quick run to the station and forgot it here. We tried calling you back…did you not get them?"

"No, I got them. I just wanted to see you in person before answering." The fight seemed to leave her and all Stef wanted at that moment was to give Callie a hug and never let go.

"Why, honey?" Lena took Callie's arm and gently led her to the sofa. Both women sat on either side of her, as they usually did when one of their children needed to talk to them.

Callie hesitated, and Stef knew that whatever she was going to say, it wasn't going to be good. "I want to come home."

"I know, sweetie. We're working on it, I promise. These things just take longer than they should. I have an appointment to see the judge first thing on Monday. It was the earliest he could see me. Hopefully he'll see how things should be and you'll be back in your bed on Monday night," Stef explained.

Callie shook her head. "You don't understand. I can't spend another night there."

Lena and Stef looked at each other worriedly. "Why not?"

"Because…" Callie trailed off. Stef wanted to interrupt her and tell her that everything would be okay, but she knew it was better to let the girl finish her thought in her own time. The last thing she needed to feel was rushed, especially since opening herself up was something she had a very hard time with.

Callie took a deep breath and finally spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "She locks me in my room at night."

For one wild moment Stef wanted to laugh, sure that either Callie was joking or that she couldn't possibly have heard her right. But the defeated look in Callie's eyes, the hopelessness that echoed off her entire being, was enough to convince her that her daughter spoke the truth.

"I need a name, Callie. I need to know who you're staying with so that we can file a complaint and get you out of that house as soon as possible." Stef was up and began to pace the room, as she did whenever she had so many emotions running through her that she didn't know what to do with herself.

"I…What if I get in trouble?" Callie asked. "I already ran away from her. What if I get sent back to Juvie?"

"That won't happen," Stef said at once. She could feel Lena staring at her incredulously, but she chose to ignore her for the moment. "Locking you in a room goes against countless regulations. It's impeding your immediate safety! What if there were a fire, or someone broke in? You did the right thing by coming to us, love."

Callie visibly relaxed, but Lena stood up and pulled Stef to the other side of the room.

"Why are you telling her that it is okay she ran?"

Stef stared at her. "I'm sorry, but did you not just hear what our daughter said? She's getting locked in her room! That's child abuse, Lena. I see it all the time on the job. People may think they have their children's best interests at heart, but when safety is called into question, I have to intervene. How is Callie's situation any different?"

"I understand that what is happening to her is wrong. But you can't let your emotions cloud your judgment. Callie already has a history of running away. How do you think the judge is going to see this on Monday? We can't prove anything. It's Callie's word against her foster mother's."

"Why would Callie make this up?"

"Come on, Lena. Everyone who is involved in this knows how much Callie wants to stay with us. I don't think anyone would put it past her to lie in order to get back to us. Especially her brother. When they're separated, she will do anything to get back to him. And don't think the judge doesn't already know that."

"So what are you saying, Lena? Are you saying you want her to go back to that house? To a woman who is locking in her in her room and God knows what else? We might be putting her more at risk by sending her back there! By now she's got to know Callie's gone. She may have already called the police. They find Callie after this, they'll put her back in Juvie. Is that really what you want?" Stef demanded.

Lena stared at her and smiled sadly. "If we expect to bring her back into our home and adopt her, she's going to have to face the judge. And the only way she can do that is by staying put and facing the consequences of her actions. I'm not saying she has to go back to her current foster home, but we can't hide her here or let her run away again. That isn't going to accomplish anything."

Stef sighed and turned her gaze on the teenager sitting on their couch. She'd been through so much already. How could they let the system punish her for wanting to get out of a bad situation?

"You're right," she said at last. "She's going to have to go back. But I'm taking her myself. I want her foster mother to look me in the eye as she explains her reasoning behind locking our daughter up like some kind of common criminal. Are you coming?"

Lena nodded. "Of course."

Both women went back to Callie, who was fidgeting on the sofa, obviously nervous about what was going to be said next. They went back to their previous positions on either side of her. Stef was the first to speak.

"We are going to take you back to your foster home."

Callie immediately stood up in anger. "What? Why?"

"Listen to us!" Lena and Stef stood up as well, following Callie's movements so she didn't have a chance to get away. "We aren't going to let you go back to that house, but we aren't going to let you just run away from this, either. If you expect to get adopted, you need to follow the rulebook on this. We can't adopt you if the judge thinks you're a flight risk and sends you back to Juvie. And that's all we want. To adopt you. We love you, and nothing will ever change that."

"We only want the best for you." Stef finally caught Callie's arm and pulled her in for a hug. She was surprised but glad that Callie returned the hug with as much force as she was capable of.

"I know. I love you, too. And I'm sorry I put you in this position."

"The only person who needs to be sorry is your foster mother. Do you think you're ready to go back?"

Callie let go and took a step back. "Not really. But I guess I don't really have a choice."

"Don't worry, sweets. Mama and I will be with you every step of the way."

And with that, the two women led Callie out to the car, hoping against hope that everything would work itself out.


End file.
